Premier
With reference to the Premier’ claim (also included in a speech delivered on 6 April 2024) that “more than 78% of all jobs in South Africa have been created in the Western Cape”:
(a) What is the source of the data that informs this claim, (b) what are the details of the data that is the evidence for the statement that 78% of all jobs in South Africa have been created in the Western Cape and (c) in which sectors of the economy were these jobs created?
- The source of data is Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for 2019 Quarter 4 and 2023 Quarter 4.
- According to Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, in 2019Q4, the Western Cape and South Africa had 2,517,564 and 16,420,268 people employed respectively. In 2023Q4, the Western Cape and South Africa had 2,756,714 and 16,723,195 people employed respectively. This means between 2019Q4 and 2023Q4 the Western Cape and South Africa created 239,150 and 302,924 jobs respectively. It follows that 78.9% of the jobs reflected as an increase in South Africa were from the Western Cape.
- The table below shows the sectors of the economy where these jobs were created.
Change in employment levels by sector in the Western Cape, 2019Q4 - 2023Q4 | |||
| 2019Q4 | 2023Q4 | Change over period |
Thousand | Thousand | Thousand | |
Agriculture | 236 | 234 | -2 |
Mining | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Manufacturing | 305 | 304 | -1 |
Utilities | 16 | 16 | 0 |
Construction | 204 | 242 | 37 |
457 | 510 | 54 | |
Transport | 166 | 148 | -18 |
Finance | 448 | 544 | 96 |
Community and social services | 542 | 576 | 34 |
Private households | 142 | 179 | 37 |
Totals | 2,518 | 2,757 | 239 |
